The Saline County journal. [volume] (Salina, Kan.) 1871-1893, 1887-08-11
BAYEUx TAPESTRY
A Quaint aad Priceless work OF Not More
Than Eight Centuries Old.

Quaint aad Priceless work % Not More
Than Eight Centuries Old.
In the whole composition are repra-
sented more than $40 persons, $50
horses. and $50 other animals, besides
ships. boats. buildings. trees. weapons,
tools and other objects. These figures
are drawn and colOred fat, without
any attempt at shading. and in their
/ spirited uneOuthness remind rs Of the
work Of a clever child. The faces,
hands and legs Of the human figures,
when bare, are merely indicated BY a
line Of stitches. Yet It is an instance
of the durability Of frail things that
these faces and hands have, in many
cases. retained for eight hundred years
a decided expression. In the eolored
portions Of the embroidery. where the
linen ground Is covered with long
wOrsted stitches. little attempt is made
TO initiate the hues of nature. There
IS nothing improbable. It is true. in the
colors Of the clothing. but those Of the
animals are not such as are found in
the common varieties. In the absence
OF shading and perspective, an at
tempt Is made To supply their place by
varying the color arbitrarily on the
different parts of the same animal.
Thus a light-blue horse may have his
two legs which are farthest from the
spectator colored red. his ears green
and his name yellow. The hoofs on
his blue legs may be red, and those Of
his red legs green. In spite of this
grutesqueness, the general effect is
good; and time, which will usually
bring colOrs which lie near each other
into harmony. however discOrdant thew
may have been at first. has mellowed
and sOftened the whole.
There has been some controversy as /
To the maker Of the tapestry. and as to
its exact date. II Is attributed By pup
nlar tradition 10 Matilda. wife Of viii /
lam the COnquerOr. who is supposed 1
% have worked It with her ladies to /
commemorate the glories Of her hus-
band Some writers suppose il to have /
been made a. q somewhat later date 4
than that of her lifetime. Mr.. Freeman,
however. probably the best authority
on the subject, assigns the work to q
period little after that Of the conquest
but does not attribute It's manufacture
to the Queen. The tapestry was worked.
as be thinks, tor O.lO, Bishop Of Bayeux,
half brother 10 William. on the mothers
side. There are some reasons TO sup
pose that English WOrkmen were en-
plOyed. OdO appears At least four times
in the tapestry. and several Of his vas
sails, otherwise almost unknown men,
are represented. The tapestry itself
was exhibited In the cathedral Of
Bayeux down 10 the time Of the
French revolution. being stretched
round the nave on certain feast-days.
During the eight centuries which have
elapsed since its completion It has es-
capped many dangers. The church was
burned in HOG. Il was pillaged by the
CalVinists in 1852 In 1892 the tapestry ,
narrowly escaped being cut up into
for carts for the French
Revolutionary army. In 1908 Il was ,
carried 70 Paris and exhibited IN the
Nnsee Napoleon % Ere the French
heart for = new conquest Of England.
On being returned 10 Bayeux the tapest- /
y was wound on two cylinders or !
Windlasses In the town hall. and rolled /
from one 70 the other for the inspection I
Of the cariOus. By this process Il be-
came somewhat frayed. especially near
the snaA Il was not al l642 that the ,
priceless relic was displayed 70 stadents
aud the public, under glass. in = special :
q its own. Thence Il vas /
ags1a removed IN 1871. on the approach {
d Tie Prussian invaders L was soon ,
brought back. however, and stretched
lgsin 10 its museum. where Il has been
carefully copied several times.-serib- (
lsy's kagasSsG